ProVane Windpilot

[Purim465]

Hi,
Has anyone come across the ProVane Windpilot from Estonia? I've seen it on the Sail Life youtube channel but cannot find any contact details online. It look like a compeditor to hydrovane but at a more reasonable price.

[southbaysail]

Yes I have one installed on my 33ft yacht. Works brilliantly. I am in Australia and it cost a lot to ship but still came out cheaper than other options. I am very pleased with my purchase decision. Product very well made.

I have got to know the developer of this product quite well through this purchase. He hasn’t made it publicly advertised as yet but has sold many and lots of big yachts using the Provane successfully for ocean passages.

You can access his site which sells another wind-vane called the Windy, at https://windyselfsteering.com/selfsteering/

Use the contact page on the site and tell him Mark from Australia referred you.

Good luck.

[SVTatia]

I have his "other" model called Windy installed on my boat. Excellent product, and yes, he is very good to deal with.
The problem is that he has more than he can handle right now, its a small business with a high demand, which is good for him but requires lots of patience.

[Celtic Song]

I have one on order. It looks very well made and I should have it installed by the end of Sept. The builder is a very nice fellow and he's been willing to come up with some changes specific to my needs without complaint. Shipping is expensive but that's no fault of his. What I like about it is that it is an auxiliary unit so that will save wear on the boats steering system as well as provide an emergency rudder and it's very compact allowing me to keep my dinghy in davits.

[southbaysail]

Originally Posted by Celtic Song

I have one on order. It looks very well made and I should have it installed by the end of Sept. The builder is a very nice fellow and he's been willing to come up with some changes specific to my needs without complaint. Shipping is expensive but that's no fault of his. What I like about it is that it is an auxiliary unit so that will save wear on the boats steering system as well as provide an emergency rudder and it's very compact allowing me to keep my dinghy in davits.

Good news. What size and make is your yacht? Where do you sail? I’ll be very interested in learning your experiences with the PV. Just yesterday I put mine back on after a winter break and boat maintenance. Mine will get a lot of use this season on the southern east Australia coast. Best

[Celtic Song]

It's going on to a Bayfield 40. It's a ketch so there's been some planning to try to make it work under the mizzen. The plan is to get it installed in the next few weeks before we haul out for the winter at the end of October. We are on Lake Ontario, Canada. Won't have much chance to test it this year but we'll be going out the St Lawrence River and cruising the Canadian East Coast next summer so that should be a good test.

[southbaysail]

The Bayfields are beautiful boats, not many here in AU. I can see why you needed mods re mizzens and davits. Great that Imre was able to help. A boat your size will be a good test for the PV. My boat fully laden is over 6 tonnes and its a heavy solid built boat of it era circa 1984, but the PV has worked admirably in up to 25kt winds and 2-3 metre seas, have not used in stronger conditions yet. Best of luck with install and trials. Your sailing plans sound great, been watching lots of videos of sailing in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Both amazingly beautiful places. Best.

[Celtic Song]

I installed it two days ago and it fits well. My goal was to try to clear under the mizzen mast and the manufacturer worked very hard with me to make that happen. I haven't sail tested it yet but all appears to be good to go. I'm pretty happy because it will work under the mizzen and I can still keep my dinghy in the davits.

[southbaysail]

Looks great. Same mount arrangement as on my yacht.

[Hendrik fiji]

[QUOTE=southbaysail;3733136]Yes I have one installed on my 33ft yacht. Works brilliantly. I am in Australia and it cost a lot to ship but still came out cheaper than other options. I am very pleased with my purchase decision. Product very well made.

I have got to know the developer of this product quite well through this purchase. He hasn’t made it publicly advertised as yet but has sold many and lots of big yachts using the Provane successfully for ocean passages.

You can access his site which sells another wind-vane called the Windy, at https://windyselfsteering.com/selfsteering/

Use the contact page on the site and tell him Mark from Australia referred you.






Im also looking at the provane. Can you please let me know what you think of the mounting. They look a little flimsy in the photos. Also can you please share the shipping costs. Im in Fiji, so should be similar. I have a 46 foot alloy boat getting close to 8 ton. Thanks

[southbaysail]

Hendrik to your post the PV is very well made and strong. There is a good review of using one on a very long voyage on YouTube I suggest you search it out and check. Re freight to AU it was about $AUD 600. I suggest you contact Imre directly via his website he is very eager to assist and can answer your Qs directly. I certainly find it an excellent product cheers